An infection of cow with Mortierella wolfii

A Japanese black cow from a farm in Gunma prefecture showed pyrexia, anorexia and depression. An autopsy revealed hepatic lesions consisting of numerous approximately spherical pale lesions scattered about on the surface and cut parts. The inflammatory lesions were observed in the right lobe of the lung. A part of the trachea was whitish and thickened. Histologically, necrotic foci were observed throughout most of the liver with fungal proliferation about the blood vessels. The lesions of the lung were seriously exudative and the fungus was also present in some of the bronchiole and on bloodvessel walls. Mortierella wolfii was isolated from the liver. The hyphae in the liver were identical in appearance with those seen in the tissues of rabbits experimentally inoculated with M. wolfii. This report is the first case of M. wolfii infection in Japan.